Daily Devotion: 1 Peter 5:6-7 “Humble yourselves, then, under God’s mighty hand, so that he will lift you up in his own good time. Leave all your worries with him, because he cares for you.” Worry and fear can cause you to make serious mistakes. Do you remember the story of Moses sending out the twelve spies to the Promised Land? Ten of them became fearful when they thought of the adversaries they would have to face in a strange land. When they came back these ten told tall tales about the giants they saw and how terrifying their stature is. They said: “The land, through which we have gone to search, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof…” (Numbers 13:32) Their words made the Israelites fear for their safety, despite the fact that they had God on their side. They have forgotten that God has promised them this land and that He would ensure their safe travels and, should they be in battle, their victory. Have you ever, in your life, prayed about something and then simply stood up from your prayer and blundered on in a direction you thought would curb your cares? Were your efforts successful? Did it solve your problems? I’m sure that your actions even made your troubles worse in many cases. We must never try to ‘fix things’ on our own. Leave your troubles with the Lord and He will take care of things. Wait for God to nudge you into action, because He will, when the time is right. Keep the following in mind: *The devil uses worry and fear to exaggerate our troubles. Numbers 13:28, 30-31: “But the people who live there are powerful, and their cities are very large and well-fortified. Even worse, we saw the descendants of giants there. Caleb silenced the people who were complaining against Moses, and said, ‘We should attack now and take the land; we are strong enough to conquer it.’ But the men who had gone with Caleb said, ‘No, we are not strong enough to attack them;” *Worry can be contagious. Look what happened when the ten spies spread their tall tale about the terrors of the Promised Land. Numbers 13:32: “So they spread a false report among the Israelites about the land they had explored.” Numbers 14:1 & 3: “All night long the people cried out in distress. Why is the LORD taking us into that land? We will be killed in battle, and our wives and children will be captured. Wouldn’t it be better to go back to Egypt?” *Worry can demoralize you and leave you hopeless. Remember Job? Job 3:25-26: “Everything I fear and dread comes true. I have no peace, no rest, and my troubles never end.” If you trust the Lord, you will not act in haste. Isaiah 28:26: “Faith that is firm is also patient.” *Worry and fear can cause you to hide your talents and not reach the potential God intended for you. You will miss out on a life He has planned. Matthew 25:24-25: “Then the servant who had received one thousand coins came in and said, ‘Sir, I know you are a hard man; …I was afraid, so I went off and hid your money in the ground…” *Worry and fear put us in bondage, but you need not be troubled, because God has made us free. Romans 8:15: “For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God’s children, and by the Spirit’s power we cry to God, ‘Father! My Father!” Are you struggling to leave your worries behind and live a life of joy, as God intended? Remember, whenever you feel overwhelmed by worry, turn you mind away from your cares and start praying. Practice this continuously until it becomes a habit. It will take time, but you will eventually be able to replace the toxic worrying thoughts with thoughts of peace and happiness, secure in the knowledge that God is taking care of things. #1Peter5 #Surrenderall #LetGoAndLetGod #Faith